*

SINCE the commission of the angel in the Revelation, was to preach the gospel to every people and tribe, the Christian will naturally desire to know what the word of God is accomplishing in other countries. The life of a foreign servant of Jesus must therefore be highly interesting, independent of the considerations that iron sharpeneth iron, and truth is established by the concurrence of testimonies.

Julius Charles Rieu was born at Geneva, in August, 1792, of a respectable family. As we have no account of the transition of his mind from evil to good, we may suppose, that like Josiah, "while he was yet young he began to seek after God; "t at least we are told, that his natural humility, and an awful view of the holiness which befits an apostolical profession, made him shrink from undertaking it; and more than once after he had begun his theological studies, he was on the point of renouncing them. Perhaps this early mistrust of self might save him the necessity of many a purifying trial, such as the sincere, but forward candidate needs, who presses into the ministry, on the strength of newlyacquired motives and eager desires. His mind, however, was nourished by careful reading of the Scriptures, by meditation and prayer, till as the word of God became his chief pleasure, and he learned to consider himself only as an instrument, he found he could do all things through Christ who strengthened him. In this state of mind he was ordained, and it was not long before a place was appointed for him; the pastorship of the French Refugee Church, at Fredericia, in Jutland, becoming vacant in 1817, a call was addressed to

*Rev. xiv. 6. + 2 Chron. xxxiv. 3.

him by the consistory, which he accepted. This colony, it need hardly be said, was composed of the descendants of Protestants who were banished by Louis XIV. Although a numerous circle of relations and friends seemed to claim his presence at home, he regarded this occasion of serving the Lord as imperative, and set out alone for the north. Having learned, however, that the French language was wearing out among his flock, he staid three months at Gottingen, and applied himself night and day to the study of German, till he was able to preach in it. If the apostles were distinguished by the gift of tongues, the herald of God must now prove his sincerity, by devoting his time and labour to study them, and from the days of Irenæus, to the present time, this assiduity has been one of the principal marks of a desire to extend the kingdom of heaven.*

In composing his discourses, he was studious to avoid all preaching of self, to unite practice with doctrine, and to set forth Christ as the only foundation. His biographer tells us, that he was always simple, and always eloquent; indeed he used to say, my art of oratory is prayer. He chose his texts alternately from a gospel and an epistle, in the regular order of the book, and taking a shorter or longer portion, according to the nature of the subject; thus he was always provided with a text, and saved the time which others lose in looking for one; but what was more important, he thus followed the plan in which the Holy Spirit has dictated the Scriptures, and if his ministry

*Those who knew the late lamented Edward Majendie, at Oxford, may remember, that he began to study Welsh, even before he had taken his degree of B. A. as he had a prospect of preferment in Wales.

had been prolonged, he would in this sense have declared the whole counsel of God. On days, however, of festivals and communion, he always preached for the occasion.

As soon as he had determined in what point of view to set forth his subject, he made it a matter of earnest prayer, imploring from the Holy Spirit that instruction which best suited the souls of his hearers. It is observed, that a year before, he took months to compose a sermon; but now he made two a week, so much does an actual exercise of the ministry quicken the spiritual faculties. In the morning he preached a French sermon by heart; in the afternoon he delivered a German discourse from the book, not presuming to trust his memory, as he had not long begun that language. An

old sermon he seldom or ever repeated, for he considered that such a practice made preaching appear professional, and that a discourse should appear as unpremeditated as possible; since the manner, method of treating the subject, and inferences, will often vary according to circumstances and parochial events. With regard to the time of composing a sermon, he adopted the advice given by Reinhard, to make it a week beforehand, and thus as soon as one was preached, he was sure to have the next ready, and guarded against any accident which might interfere with his time.

His daily habit was to rise at four. In this particular he resembled Dr. Doddridge, who calculated that by rising at five instead of seven, he had added ten years of disposable time to his life, while he endeavoured as a faithful servant to turn every quarter of an hour to profitable account.†

See his Letters on his studies and labours as a preacher, (in French) translated from the German by J. Monod, pastor at Paris.

†The writer remembers a comparison

The sabbath was his happiest day, and instead of considering it a burden, he looked forward to it with a joy, which undoubtedly sprang from his entire consecration of himself to the glory of God. After morning service, which began at nine, he visited the infirm, officiating privately in each of their houses,* At two the German service commenced, after which the Sunday School assembled; at six his pious friends met in his house, when he read the scriptures, and communicated missionary intelligence, concluding with prayer. In winter he had two such meetings in the week; besides which, he gave instruction twice to young persons, read the Bible with such as wished, and prepared a master for the school. In the formation of the Bible Society at Fredericia, he had a principal hand, and as might be expected, was one of its most active members.

His Bible was marked with such passages as struck him most, for his practice was to read with a pen in his hand, and to turn the Scripture, verse by verse, into spiritual nutriment by reflection. Every day he learned a portion of the Greek Testament by heart, which must have tended to store his mind with Scripture as well as to strengthen the memory.† Besides his numerous avocations, he kept up a constant correspondence with

being made between two talented students at Oxford, when one was considered as having this advantage over the other, that he did not lose his half-hours.

* Might it not be useful, as this cannot always be done, to adopt a plan of visiting on the Monday, those who are debarred from public worship on the Sabbath? Perhaps too, the best time for calling on such as wilfully absent themselves, is the Saturday, when the recollection of the minister's visit will next day chime in with the consciousness of its being Sunday.

+ Sir M. Hale was remarkably anxious to devote this strange and wonderful faculty,' as he calls it, to the service of God. See his Good Steward's Account at the Great Audit, c. 4.

his friends and family, employing it as an opportunity of edifying and consoling them. In visiting his flock from house to house, he was indefatigable; he exhorted sinners with frankness; and indeed wherever he went, it may be said that he carried the words and benedictions of his Lord. He thus expressed himself on this subject in a letter to his friend and future biographer M. Frederic Monod, 'Let us study, my dear brother, not to lose one of those moments which the Master has intrusted to us. How short is the time we call our life, and how much shorter may it not be than we suppose ? Let us not place its end at a distant period, or even a year hence, or a month, or a single week: let us place it at the end of every day, in which we still find ourselves on the passing surface of this world. Let us live and act each day as if it were our last. This calculation will not deceive us, and it is the only way to avoid being taken by surprise.' Thus he wrote on May 15, 1821, little thinking that he had only six weeks longer to live.

The time he had spent in Fredericia, was only four years. During his short sojourn, his doctrine and example had wrought a complete change in the religious and moral condition of the colony. Their principle vice was drunkenness : soon after his arrival, he drew up a regulation, which all the heads of families signed, authorising the consistory, under the presidence of the pastor, to deprive every drunkard, who persevered in his brutal habit after three or four successive warnings, of his colonial privileges for a certain time; that is to say, of his portion of the lands which the Danish government had granted for the benefit of the community, at the time of their first establishment in Jutland. One instance at least occurred of this regulation being enforced in the case of a drunkard who was de

prived of the profit of his lands for three years, in 1821.

Foreseeing that the schoolmaster of the colony would soon become unfit for the office through age, he chose out a young man, and devoted two years to forming his mind as a Christian teacher. As the school-house could not contain above half the number of children, it was necessary to erect a new one; he first addressed himself by prayer to the Lord, and immediately after set the labourers to work. He was soon accused of thoughtlessness, as there really was not money enough in hand to raise a single wall; but his only answer was this, Your want of faith causes these fears; we are doing the Lord's work, and he will find the means of completing it; only believe and we shall succeed.' He did not deceive himself; for the appeal he made to the reformed churches in Europe, through the pages of a monthly periodical in 1819, was liberally answered, and two years after, a handsome building was finished, fit to contain two hundred scholars, on the plan of reciprocal instruction. The thanks of the colony for this subscription, were expressed through the same publication in 1820. The school was situated opposite the windows of the parsonage, and the following inscription was put over the door, but without a date, in order that the thanks and gratitude of the people might not be rendered to himself.

*

recommends in verse. H-, who had passed her fiftieth year, and who taught French and drawing in a neighbouring town, was requested by the elders of the consistory to undertake the management of his household. During a dangerous illness, Rieu had shewn her every friendly and pastoral attention, and now being as it were restored by his prayers, she consented to occupy part of his house, which he had previously let to an officer. She treated him uniformly as a son, relieved him from many burdens, and made such parochial visits for him as he was prevented from making himself.

In the beginning of 1821 a virulent malady appeared at Fredericia, which raged particularly among the colony, and was there

fore called the disease of the reformed. (It must be remembered that the Danish population are Lutherans, and that the term Reformed is usually applied on the continent to the Calvinistic churches.) Rieu aided by Madame H-, was continually by the bed of death, or exhorting the survivors beside the grave. In June the disorder seemed to abate.

His

friend Monod had been to visit him, and they parted on the 12th, at Christiansfelt, a settlement of the United Brethren, which they had gone to see. On the 21st he felt the first attack of the malady, but he was ready for the summons, because he was always watching. Anticipating his end, he addressed a Christian letter to his congregation, and put down his thoughts on paper for his relations. On the 25th he became senseless, and on the 28th, at half-past one in the morning, his soul departed to be with Christ, which is far best.

The elders of the church wrote to his family at Geneva, testifying their deep regret. His funeral took place on the 2nd of July, and was attended by the magistracy of the town, the Lutheran and

Catholic pastors, the Jewish catechist, the regents of the schools, and various other distinguished persons. The senior Lutheran minister delivered a discourse. Before his death, he had desired to have a plain coffin, covered with a black cloth, instead of one ornamented with plates of silver, after the fashion of the colony, thus bequeathing a pattern of modesty and frugality to his people.

We now proceed to give a few extracts from the papers he wrote before his death. To his congregation he says, I have but one word to say to

you, and that is a repetition of what you ought to know already, and which will occupy my mind to the end; that I have loved you, and do love you at this time with all my heart. I have prayed and will pray to the Lord for you to my last breath.... Before I prepared the food he bade me give you, I never failed to throw myself at the foot of the throne of grace, to intreat the sovereign Shepherd of souls, that he would speak to you himself by my mouth, and not suffer me to insert a single thought of my own. Alas, I know, that but for my unbelief the Lord would have made his strength far more perfect in my weakness, and would have addressed you more exclusively himself.... I smite my breast with the publican, in a deep sense of my transgressions, and cry with the crucified and converted thief, Lord, remember me in thy kingdom. If he withdraws me so early, it is an additional favour for which I cannot sufficiently humble myself before him, and sing songs of praises. Who am I, O my God, that my conflict should cease so soon, before I have had to resist unto blood, striving against sin?

"Dear parishioners, take heed to yourselves; I have declared to you the counsel of God, it is true, (and I humble myself and weep for it before the cross) with too